It is well known that N-alkylacetamides of the general formula (III): ##STR4## wherein X.sup.1, X.sup.2 and X.sup.3 are the same or different and are independently hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, lower alkenyl, halogen or trifluoromethyl; R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are the same or different and are independently lower alkyl; and represents a chemical bond of E- or Z- configuration, or a mixture of these configurations, are useful as bactericides or fungicides for agricultural use. A process for their production is disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 288045/1992. In this process, a certain acetonitrile compound (I) is hydrolyzed into the corresponding acetamide (II), which is then reacted with an alkylating agent in the presence of a base, as shown in the reaction scheme: ##STR5## wherein X.sup.1, X.sup.2, X.sup.3, R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and are each as defined above.
The above process, however, has serious disadvantages that the yield of the acetamide (II') as an intermediate is as low as about 70% and that the desired compound is only obtained in as low yield as about 50% because the N,N-dialkyl product (III') is formed as a by-product through the reaction of the intermediate and the alkylating agent.
Accordingly, there is a great demand for the development of a process of producing an N-alkylacetamide as the desired compound in high yield without going through the above intermediate.